George Harrison Photography

Expectations were high for solo creative efforts after the Beatles broke up, but George Harrison met and surpassed them as an acclaimed, inventive artist. The first solo projects from the man behind “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun” were experimental—1968’s Wonderwall Music soundtrack and 1969’s synthesizer-centered Electronic Sound.

The Indian-inspired 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass was the first true release from “the quiet Beatle,” and a masterpiece that is still considered the most successful post-Beatles project. Shortly thereafter, this social activist organized “The Concert for Bangladesh” (featuring Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton) and continued to define the ’70s through his own classics Living in the Material World and Dark Horse.

Harrison was just as formidable in the ’80s with his Cloud Nine collection and as a member of the Traveling Wilburys supergroup alongside Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. In 2001, he died at just 58 from lung cancer, but songs such as “My Sweet Lord,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” and many more are sure to last forever.